Item Details

abstract

This thesis explores moments of contact and touch within Paradise Lost in the context of Milton's much-discussed material monism. I argue that touch operates in the poem in accordance with Milton's monism as a process of unification and merging that occurs on both corporeal and spiritual planes. Touch in Paradise Lost, I contend, generates a notion of 'haptic reciprocity' that destabilizes hierarchies and distinctions between man and God, man and woman, and subject and object. I frame my project by exploring three tactile poles: divine contact between Milton himself and God, and kiss and hand-holding between Adam and Eve. To strengthen my argument, I draw on a wide range of sources, including premodern ontology, Medieval mysticism, and the philosophy of touch. Ultimately, by offering a haptic reading of Milton's complicated metaphysics, I attempt to uncover the essence of Milton's spirituality within materiality.

subject

Early Modern Literature

Haptic Theory

John Milton

Metaphysics

Paradise Lost

Touch

contributor

Ricks, Ryan (author)

Rapaport, Herman (committee chair)

Holdridge, Jefferson (committee member)

Pyke, Jenny (committee member)

date

2021-06-03T08:35:57Z (accessioned)

2021-06-03T08:35:57Z (available)

2021 (issued)

degree

English (discipline)

identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/98790 (uri)

language

en (iso)

publisher

Wake Forest University

title

REACH OUT AND TOUCH FAITH: HAPTIC RECIPROCITY IN MILTON’S PARADISE LOST

type

Thesis